CCSO: Injured man identified

Published 2:28 pm Friday, August 4, 2023

Update: As of 2:45 p.m. the man has now been identified as 41-year-old Joseph Michael Edwards.

At this time the investigation is ongoing to determine how Mr. Edwards was injured.

Investigators with the Carter County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who was found severely injured along a county road on Thursday afternoon.

Around 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, officers responded to Hillmont Drive after a 911 caller requested officers to conduct a welfare check on a man who had been found near her home.

When officers arrived, they spoke to the woman who stated when she returned home from work, she saw a man she did not know sitting in a chair in her yard. The woman told officers her neighbor had found the man laying in the grass nearby and due to the injured man’s condition, he provided an umbrella and tarp to try to get the man out of the rain.

Officers then checked on the male subject and observed that the man had apparently suffered major head trauma, had extreme swelling on his face, blood was coming from his ears, and the man had scratches on his face and back. The man was unable to communicate with officers and was transported by an ambulance to a local hospital for treatment due to the severity of his injuries.

Deputies searched the area and found a bicycle and a pair of sandals near where the injured man was found lying in the grass. After speaking to residents in the neighborhood, no one was able to identify the man.

“Our primary focus right now is to identify this man and notify anyone who might be missing him that he has been injured,” Sheriff Mike Fraley said. “At this time, we do not know if he was involved in an accident or if he was assaulted. Once we learn who he is, we can move forward in trying to find out what happened to him.”

Anyone with any information about the identity of the man who was found injured or what happened to him is asked to contact Investigator Derrick Hamm at 423-542-1856.